Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight hitters Greg Hardy and Juan Adams will go to war this Saturday (July 20, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 4 from inside AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Here we are again, pretending there’s reason to be excited about a Greg Hardy fight. In his UFC debut, Hardy fought a decent fighter, got pretty tired, and threw an illegal knee to receive a disqualification loss rather than a regular defeat. Hardy “rebounded” by knocking out a softball of the highest order, leading us to yet another main card placement. Adams, at least, is no pushover though still very round around the edges. “The Kraken” should probably be undefeated (2-0) in two trips to the Octagon were it not for those pesky judges and their complete lack of competence, but he still managed to receive this match up after calling for it on social media.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Greg Hardy
Record: 4-1
Key Wins: Dmitry Smolyakov (UFC Fight Night 150), Austen Lane (DWTNCS 2018), Tebaris Gordon (DWTNCS 2018)
Key Losses: Allen Crowder (UFC on ESPN+ 1)
Keys to Victory: Hardy is still very early in his professional career and thus still a pretty simple from a technical standpoint — though the same could very easily be said about his opponent. In the cage, Hardy has demonstrated fast hands and good knockout power, a pair of traits certainly helpful at Heavyweight.
Strategically, though? Hardy is going to go out there and swing wild, hoping to connect with a major shot early. If it doesn’t come, his gas tank is likely to run out quickly, and the end result will be the slow, sloppy clinch war that no one wants to see. Ideally, Hardy will fight on the counter. Adams has a bad habit of arm punching as he moves forward in a blitzing combination. If Hardy is skilled enough to wait a moment, take his head off the center line, and fire a big right hand as Adams swarms forward, this one may be over quickly.
Juan Adams
Record: 5-1
Key Wins: Chris de la Rocha (UFC on FOX 31), Shawn Teed (DWTNCS 2018)
Key Losses: Arjan Bhullar (UFC Fight Night 151)
Keys to Victory: In truth, Adams succeeds in large part by being gigantic: he cuts weight to make the Heavyweight limit and is 6’5.” But, while Adams is not a technical marvel, he’s a more well-rounded fighter than his opponent, able to wrestle offensively and fight well in the clinch.
Plus, Adams is tough, hits plenty hard, and pushes a solid pace for his size.
The clinch seems like a clear goal for Adams here. At range, both men possess dangerous punches, but Hardy is the faster man and thus more likely to land first. However, if Adams rushes forward and jams Hardy into the fence, that speed no longer matters in the slightest. From close-quarters, Adams makes good use of his size by hanging on his opponent and slamming the mid-section with knees. It may be ugly, but it also seems like a perfect recipe to make Hardy miserable and have him looking for a way out of the fight.
Bottom Line: It’s a low-level Heavyweight fight high up on an ESPN main card because Greg Hardy is maybe-kinda-sorta-but-not-really a draw.
Either way, UFC is clearly backing Hardy and expecting him to do well — and maybe he will! Hardy is young and athletically gifted, and most importantly, fighting in a division that permanently needs capable fighters. A win here doesn’t promise a future as a contender, but it would count as Hardy’s first win over a truly UFC-caliber fighter, which is a good sign for his longevity.
Adams called for this fight and was completely dismissive of Hardy’s skill and ability, so he put plenty of pressure on himself to deliver a victory. The bright side is that his callout saw him elevated from the undercard for the first time despite his controversial loss to Bhullar, so perhaps this is his chance to introduce himself to a wider audience of fans in a big way.
At UFC on ESPN 4, Greg Hardy and Juan Adams will trade blows. Which man will earn the victory?